Introduction
Access to energy services is a priority for sustainable economic development in Africa, particularly in rural areas. Increasing access to reliable, affordable and clean energy resources is a key priority, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (IRENA, 2019a). In Western Africa access to energy for small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas is difficult, inconsistent and often expensive, however possible solutions and support can be found in less explored resources such as agricultural product residuals and agro-industrial waste. These residuals and waste can make up an important renewable energy source, as they can be converted into heat and energy to support agriculture processing and farmers. In general the capability of reuse such products will be enable to supply energy to rural areas (maybe not connected with energy grids, or at a more competitive cost), and to support the processing of the products itself and in general supporting the economical sustainability of small farming. Several projects and studies are focusing on this sector to identify which technology can be optimal at this scope (refs), but an important aspect is also to assess where and how much resources can be realistic available, how these productions will be affected by climate variability and climate change and which is the benefit to other sectors (reduce of environmental impact such limiting deforestation, loss of soil and erosion of river bank, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions). In West Africa, electricity access rates range from below 20-35% in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, to 40-45% in Mali and Guinea and more than 60% in Senegal. By considering rural areas these figure are much lower: 9, 12, less than 1 and 35% for Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal respectively (World Bank, 2020).